In the US, aspirin is taken daily by at least 40 per cent of adults who are 60 years of age or older. Intake is justified by the fact that such individuals need to prevent blood clots that could cause strokes or heart attacks.
In recent years, however, experts are re-evaluating the daily use of aspirin for all elderly people because in many of them it could cause an increased risk of bleeding, even more subtle bleeding, which could then lead to anaemia. For some elderly people, however, daily aspirin use remains recommended, especially if they have already had episodes of heart attacks or strokes.
The study did not look into how aspirin might contribute to anaemia, but the researchers do have an idea of how this might happen.